​William Dargan, engineer and philanthropist, died 150 years ago in 1867. It’s fantastic that a group of Carlow historians, including Pat O’Neill, have organised a seminar to mark this anniversary. Great line up of speakers who’ll reveal lesser known aspects of Dargan’s remarkable career.

The all day seminar takes place in the aptly named Dargan Centre for innovation at the Institute of Technology, Carlow on Sat 18 Nov 2017. Further details from Pat O’Neill at oneillaccts@eircom.net.

The Leitrim Guardian, an annual voluntary community magazine, celebrates 50 years in 2017. This year’s launch is in the Bush Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon on Friday 10 November 2017.

As in the past 20 years or so, the Editor asked me to select the winners among the best prose and poetry pieces accepted for publication. This year there were 60+ submissions so choosing 2 prose and 2 poetry winners was not easy. The winners are announced on the night at the launch. The cash prizes are modest but the boost to a novice writer or a poet’s confidence is immeasurable.

It’s a happy coincidence that the weekly county paper is the Observer and the annual magazine is the Guardian.

Brendan McDonnell, a very successful business man who died in 2014, left almost his entire estate to a number of chariites. His generous legacy enabled the RCC to buy no. 70 Lr Leeson St, a building they had rented heretofore, thus ensuring security of tenure for ever.

Brendan McGonnell was one of 7 authors who wrote their life story as a joint project in a book called Circle of Friends. A beautiful, large format, full colour hardback it was published privately in 2016 and as Brendan Coyle, the coordinator of the project says in the Foreword, the book came out in memory of their good friend, Brendan McDonnell.

The Taoiseach is spotted choosing his retirement reading. The occasion was the opening of the Dargan Centre at Carlow Institute of Technology. “Glad to hear Dargan never got involved in politics, a wise man”, he quipped.

The hardback edition of William Dargan: An Honourable Life is sold out but there are some paperbacks still available from Hodges Figgis in Dublin’s Dawson Street, all good bookshops and the publisher Lilliput Press.

Just over 140 years ago, Captain Myles Keogh from Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow, US 7th Cavalry, rode out with Custer across the Montana plains to confront a large group of Indians.

A handsome, charismatic dragoon, Keogh was a hero of the US Civil War and came through that conflict without a scratch. He was far from the only Irishman in the regiment: at least one in 7 and possibly as many as 1 in 4 of the 800 troopers in the 7th Cavalry were Irish. Names like O’Neill, Kenney, Martin, Rooney, Ryan, Hanley, McVeigh, O’Hara and Flanagan abound. But like all the other troopers under him he died that day.

Tempest in the Andes by Miguel Garnett published by Fergus Mulligan Communications will soon be available in Dublin City Libraries. It tells the riveting story of a small Andean community caught between Sendero Luminoso terrorists and the cruel oppression of the police and army in Peru. The author who has lived in Peru for 50 years has kindly agreed to donate a number of copies to the Library.

​Like everything that we publish at Fergus Mulligan Communications, Tempest in the Andes was designed, laid out and printed in Ireland.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization is about to publish a most challenging report on climate change, a topic that affects everyone on the planet. Even the deniers in the White House. FAO’s goal is to achieve a world free from hunger and calls for a food systems approach to climate change, from production to consumption that targets above all the poor in developing countries while observing that we need to do more in the richer countries to reduce the amount of food that is scandalously wasted. Available shortly on www.publishing.ie.

Fergus Mulligan will deliver a lecture on William Dargan to Engineers Ireland on 13 November 2017 at the Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise. He presented two other historical talks recently, the first to Malahide Historical Society was in April and the second to Donaghmede Historical Society in Donaghmede House on 5 October. A chance to bring the achievements of William Dargan to an extended audience. All are welcome. More information from fmcomms@indigo.ie.

Fergus Mulligan visits Rome several times a year and knows the city intimately. But there are always more things to be discovered there. As the Italians say: “Non basta una vita: a lifetime is not enough." If you’re visiting Rome and would like some tips on some of the less well known delights of this amazing city, you’ll find them in this article: “Lesser Spotted Rome”.